Houston Politics

Stardig Against Equal Rights Ordinance

Leave a comment

Houston City Council Member Brenda Stardig has finally revealed how she plans to vote on the proposed Equal Rights ordinance. In a District A newsletter, here’s what she said about the proposed ordinance…

Thank you for your recent email about the proposed equal rights ordinance.  While most Houstonians and I agree that discrimination of any kind is wrong, this proposed ordinance does nothing more than duplicate existing laws, add bureaucracy, and highlight the city’s endless overstepping of their jurisdiction.

The real question is not whether or not someone should be discriminated against. The real question is: What is the proper role of municipal government?  Cities are created to provide basic services such as water, sewer, fire and police protection, and infrastructure.  Cities are not created to govern comprehensive issues like discrimination.  We have different levels of government for a reason, and it is imperative that each level does not exceed their jurisdiction.

If passed, this ordinance would create a new bureaucracy for the city to address discrimination complaints.  Houston would have to expand government to handle the same issues already funded for and overseen by the state and federal government.  It is incomprehensible to me how the city can waste our time and your tax dollars to duplicate these services.  There are still pot holes, road repairs, and additional police and fire needs to which your city tax dollars should be allocated.

Cities should stick to what they were created to do. I was elected to represent my district on city matters, and I will not stand for the city overstepping their authority.

Sincerely,

Brenda Stardig

Houston City Council Member, District A

It’s not exactly a surprise that Stardig would choose to vote against the ordinance.  After all, she did just reclaim her seat from Fringe-Right phenomenon Helena Brown. But of all the issues for Stardig to choose to prove her ‘Conservative’ bonafides, this is a choice that could ultimately come back to haunt her. Groups like the Log Cabin Republicans of Houston, which endorsed the Council Member and were some of her strongest supporters and campaign volunteers in the 2013 election against Brown, are reconsidering those actions now.  Here’s what the organization had to say in a press release…

The Log Cabin Republicans was shocked and saddened to hear about Council Member Stardig’s statement of opposition to the proposed Equal Rights Ordinance. The ordinance, which would prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity, is a fair minded and solid proposal.

Council Member Stardig’s recent statement of opposition is based on the falsehood that these protections already exist in federal law. As it stands any Houstonian can be fired for no other reason than being gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender.

It saddens us that despite receiving our endorsement, hearing the stories of those who have faced discrimination, and telling us that she did not believe in discrimination, Council Member Stardig has stood up for the right to discriminate.

We call on Council Member Stardig to reconsider her opposition which stands on the wrong side of history and equality.

Stardig’s decision may seem sensible in the short-term, but it’s a foregone conclusion that equality is supported by young adults across the political spectrum.  From ultra Liberal to staunch Conservative, they believe in the rights of anyone to be protected from discrimination, and have the same opportunities as anyone else.  As more Millennials become regular members of the voting citizenry, politicians should consider carefully how they treat these issues.  This will be a campaign issue for Brenda Stardig.

For more on this and other NDO developments, check out coverage from Texpatriate and Off the Kuff.

Stardig

(photo credit:  ABC 13)

Politics

Time to Kill Obamacare

Leave a comment

Perhaps this isn’t the post title that one expects to see on a left-leaning blog, but just bear with me.

When suggesting that we  kill Obamacare, it is not suggesting that the law and new practices be actually killed, like some of the theories Conservative writer George Will has put forward.  He thinks the Affordable Care Act can be struck down arguing that it is unconstitutional, but this is simply inaccurate.  Though it’s true that the law originated in the Senate, and it definitely incorporates monetary elements, those do not describe the crux of the legislation.  The purpose of the ACA is not to raise revenue, but to facilitate the ability for more Americans to have health insurance.  Though taxes share many commonalities with penalties, they are fundamentally different.  A tax is something that is owed under any circumstance… everyone pays taxes simply because they are citizens.  But a penalty is only paid when someone doesn’t comply with an existing law.  Jim gets a traffic ticket for running a red light, but Suzy stops at the light.  Was Jim taxed because he operates a vehicle??  No… he was issued a fine.  Suzy complied with traffic laws, and because she did this, she was not fined.  If George Will or anyone else tries to assert this argument that the ACA can be struck down, politely remind them of the difference between taxes and penalties.  It’s constitutional… deal with it.

But even with the law being constitutional, here’s why we should kill Obamacare.  Poll after poll suggests that while Americans typically agree with provisions of the ACA, they still don’t like Obamacare.  If you’re someone that follows politics on a regular basis, then the conflict here is blatantly obvious… the Affordable Care Act is Obamacare… we’re talking about the same thing!!  Just remember that the majority of Americans could tell you much more about Real Housewives than they could about the Houses of Congress.  Even after 4 years of wrangling, there are some genuinely intelligent people that still have no clue how the health insurance market has changed.  But thanks to an effective messaging blitz by the GOP, they do know that they don’t “like” the word “Obamacare”.

Here’s the big secret folks… before the ACA was signed into law, we had a wide array of health insurance options.  Today, more than 6 months after its full implementation, we still have a wide array of health insurance options. Despite the many lies that are out there, Obamacare isn’t some scary big government program.  It’s just a law that looked at our country’s health insurance market, determined what works and what doesn’t, and set some ground rules so companies would offer better plans to more people.

Obamacare is all politics.  But the policy of the Affordable Care Act is what’s changing people’s lives.  That’s what the Left needs to be talking about.  Let people know that the ACA made insurance more affordable, easier to obtain and much easier to understand. Give voters examples of how health insurance can improve their lives and take away the fear of the uncertain.  Instead of trying to sell negative terminology, let’s discuss why the insurance market of today is better than when Obama took office.

Long after President Obama’s term ends, the only ones that will remember the term Obamacare will be those reading politics and history books. Democrats can’t win the messaging war on this one, but they can stand by their record of having helped over 8 million people find more affordable healthcare.  It’s time to evolve past the politics debate, and let people know about the real policy and its real results. 

 

Politics

More Evidence: Texas Doesn’t Vote

1 Comment

If you know one thing about Battleground Texas, you know that their organization is taking on a huge task… re-make the voting electorate of the Lone Star State.

And as Ross Ramsey from the Texas Tribune writes, they’ve still got a long way to go to be able to do it.

Senate District 3, the most populous in the state in 2012, had 843,567 people; the least populous, Senate District 28, had 778,341. But look at the differences between populations of voting-age citizens: Senate District 3 had 603,385, while Senate District 6, now represented by Garcia, had 372,420. Even with identical percentage turnouts, one district would have more votes than the other.

That is the basis for one argument against the current districts in Texas, but it doesn’t account for the biggest disparity. Texans in one district do not seem to have the same urge to vote as their counterparts in other areas. Sen. Donna Campbell, R-New Braunfels, won in District 25, where 64.6 percent of the voting-age population cast ballots. Hers was one of three districts where more than 60 percent of adult residents voted. Garcia’s district, in that 2012 election, had a 37.1 percent turnout — one of three Senate districts with less than 40 percent.

The turnout numbers were low not just because of the low voting-age population — the number who got off their sofas to cast ballots in those districts was also abysmal. Those numbers offer a peek into the design of the political maps drawn by Republican legislators: The districts that turn out the most voters tend to favor Republicans by a wide margin in statewide elections, while the lowest turnouts are typically in Democratic districts.

Similarly large disparities show up on congressional and House maps.

Nick Lampson, a Democrat who ran in the 14th Congressional District, received 24,583 more votes in 2012 than Democrat Marc Veasey, but they were in different districts. Veasey went to Congress. Lampson went home. This is even more dramatic: Veasey won the 33rd Congressional District seat with 85,114 votes. His colleague Kevin Brady, R-The Woodlands, received 194,043 — more than twice as many.

Ramsey tries to be diplomatic here, but to be even more specific, Texas DEMOCRATS don’t vote.  Congressman Veasey represents a heavily Democratic district, while Lampson competed in a district that leans GOP.

But Texas Democrats are definitely out there.  We know this because we’ve seen them before.  The 2008 Texas Primary garnered 2,868,454 Democrat voters to a mere 1,384,663 on the GOP side.  Great candidates, in combination with the right message can drive Democrats to the polls, even in the Lone Star State.  Hopefully Wendy Davis, Leticia Van de Putte and others will find that formula for the 2014 election.

2008 Primaries

Equality, Houston Politics

Today’s the Day for Equal Rights in Houston!!

Leave a comment

Today is a very big day in the progress towards Houston’s Non-Discrimination Ordinance (aka the Equal Rights Ordinance or Human Rights Ordinance). If you support equality for all Houstonians, then please consider attending today’s meeting at Houston City Hall. The Quality of Life Committee will convene at 2pm, but there is also a rally that begins at 1:15pm in front of City Hall.  This session is the best opportunity for the public to comment for or against the ordinance.

Even if you cannot make today’s events, there’s still time to contact your 6 City Council Members.  Houston residents are each represented by 1 District Council Member, and 5 Members At-Large.

As was written previously, the other side is working hard to defeat this ordinance, but they can be defeated by a clear majority of citizen support.  We’re so close to making the Bayou City a better, safer city for everyone.  Don’t let them win!!

HERO

 

Politics

Texoblogosphere: week of April 28th

Leave a comment

The Texas Progressive Alliance strongly favors net neutrality as it brings you this week’s roundup.

Off the Kuff notes another redistricting lawsuit, this one filed by people who think our Senate districts aren’t white enough.

Libby Shaw at Texas Kaos discovers Rick Perry and Greg Abbott were for the right of eminent domain before they were against it. Rick Perry and Greg Abbott want to play Cliven Bundy in Texas.

Horwitz at Texpatriate reports that a majority of Houston City Councilmembers support a comprehensive non-discrimination ordinance.

John Coby at Bay Area Houston reports on Greg Abbott calling for drug testing 4 year olds.

Greg Abbott tried to ride Cliven Bundy’s coattails in a land dispute with the feds at the Red River, but after Bundy “told us what he knew about the Negro”, the attorney general was forced to jump off. (Are those figures of speech insensitive to a man in a wheelchair?)

Neil at All People Have Value said most folks correctly realize that the poor are just trying to get by and do well in a tough world. All People Have Value is part of NeilAquino.com.

DosCentavos tells us that more cities are thumbing their nose at SCOMM, and that El Prez/ICE is just about done with their deportation review–but it may not be what activists want to hear. Plus DC has a new font for the logo!

Texas Leftist has a new website!! Introducing the NEW texasleftist.com!!!

CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chisme calls out Democrat John Whitmire for sounding like a soulless, heartless, Republican.

And here are some posts of interest from other Texas blogs.

The Rivard Report documents the history of pay discrimination and legislation to outlaw it.

The Lunch Tray reports on new research concerning the effect of using food as a reward in classrooms.

The Bloggess writes about a threat letter her daughter’s school received, and the importance of talking about such things with our kids.

Juanita takes the Statesman to task for a misleading headline about the grand jury that is currently investigating Rick Perry.

The Texas Green Report considers whether Tesla will build its battery plant in Texas.

Ride On Metro celebrated Lights Out Houston.

Finally, the TPA congratulates Randy Bear for being named the City Skeptic of San Antonio.

Politics

DGA Has Little Faith in Wendy Davis

Leave a comment

A central part of the Democratic Party fundraising apparatus, the Democratic Governors Association is a group devoted to the nation’s gubernatorial races.  They pour in millions of dollars each year to turn the highest state offices around the country blue.

But if you’re a Texan, don’t expect much from them to help Wendy Davis get to the Governors’ Mansion.  Apparently because Texas Democrats have gone so long without a major win, the big money group have little faith that she can pull an upset. Here’s the take from the Wall Street Journal…

 

Despite the hype surrounding Texas Democrat Wendy Davis’ run for governor, the chairman of the Democratic Governors Association didn’t include her state in a list of top targets in 2014.

Ms. Davis, a state senator, gained national acclaim for filibustering a bill last year that increased regulation of abortion clinics and banned abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy. Polls show Republican nominee  Greg Abbott with a double-digit lead in the state, which hasn’t elected a Democrat since 1994.

“We’re hopeful in Texas but we all understand that Democrats haven’t won Texas in a long time,” DGA Chairman and Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin told reporters Tuesday at the Third Way think tank. He added,  “We hope this will be our year.”

Mr. Shumlin singled out Paul LePage in Maine, Rick Scott in Florida and Tom Corbett in Pennsylvania as the most vulnerable Republican incumbents. In the second tier are a trio of Midwestern governors  who also represent states won by President Barack Obama – Scott Walker in Wisconsin, John Kasich in Ohio and Rick Snyder in Michigan.

 

It’s worth noting that Governor Shumlin’s assessment seems like an initial one, and as the 2014 season heats up, this could certainly change.  But if I were the Davis campaign, this should be a clarion call to help fund raise and further motivate Texas’ ‘sleeping giant’ Democratic base.  You never know… an email titled “Even Washington’s against us” may play better with Lone Star Independents than had she earned firm DGA support.  It seems like Davis has already figured this out.  From the San Antonio Express News, here’s the response from Davis campaign manager Karin Johanson…

 

“The uninformed opinions of a Washington, DC desk jockey who’s never stepped foot in Texas couldn’t be less relevant to what’s actually happening on the ground.

 

I couldn’t agree more.  This race isn’t going to be won because of something a Washington organization does anyway.  In Texas, the only Washington that Davis needs to care about is Washington-On-The-Brazos.  This state can only be won by re-making the Texas electorate, and getting people to come off from the sidelines to vote.  This is Davis’ most important goal, and they should keep their eyes on the prize.  In recent week’s she has done an excellent job of letting her independent spirit shine through, and that is what truly matters.

 

Houston Politics

Fringe Right LIES To Thwart Houston NDO

1 Comment
It appears as though the far-right is moving to try and stop Houston’s Non-Discrimination Ordinance from passing Council.  Here’s an email received today from Steven Hotze, President of the Conservative Republicans of Texas.  In an effort to enrage their supporters, they’ve renamed the planned NDO the ‘Sexual Predator Protection Act’…
Dear Fellow Conservative,
Mayor Annise Parker is introducing a city ordinance on Wednesday, April 30th, at 1:00 pm at City Hall which would create a new minority class for individuals based solely upon their practice of sodomy and other homosexual and lesbian activities. This is outrageous!
This would make those who engage in deviant sexual acts a new minority class equal to African-Americans, Hispanics, Asians and other legitimate minorities. This is a slap in the face of true minorities. It is absurd to base a person’s minority status upon a choice of sexual activities or any other activity, for that matter, in which a person is involved. It’s outrageous!
Mayor Anise Parker’s proposed ordinance should be entitled the “Sexual Predator Protection Act.” It would allow men to put on women’s clothing and go into a female bathroom or locker room in both public and in private business locations open to the public. If challenged all he has to say in his defense is that he thinks that he is a woman. Parker and her supporters call this “transgendered.” Most would consider this deviant and perverted behavior. Do you want your mother, wife, girlfriend, daughters or granddaughters to be exposed to this danger? To allow this would be outrageous!
Parker wants to coerce the public, by force of law, to accept her lesbian relationship as morally equivalent to marriage. This violates not only the Texas Constitution Marriage Amendment, but also our Sovereign God’s law for marriage. “For this cause a man shall leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave to his wife; and they shall become one flesh. (Genesis 2:24, Matthew 19:5)
While we are all sinners in need of the atoning blood of Jesus Christ to cleanse us of our sins, it would be outrageous to allow any group who organizes politically, based upon their sexual activities, to elevate themselves to minority status.
Please call the members of the Houston City Council today and tell them that you are outraged about Parker’s Sexual Predator Protection Act. Tell them the following:
  1. Parker and her supporters’ sexual behavior does not give them a right to a minority status like legitimate racial minorities, and
  2. You do not want girls and women to be exposed to sexual predators in restrooms or showers.
The City Council names and contact information are listed below.
Also, go to City Hall this Wednesday, April 30, for the 1:00 pm city council committee hearing on Parker’s ordinance. It is important for the council members to know that their actions are being watched.
Parker’s “Sexual Predator Protection Act” will be voted on by the Houston City Council on Wednesday, May 7th.
It is critical that you start calling the city council members today and tell them that you are outraged about Parker’s Sexual Predator Protection Act.
Please forward this email letter to your family members, friends, neighbors and business associates.
Committed to advancing Biblical principles, I remain, as always,
Sincerely yours for Constitutional liberty,
Steven F. Hotze, M.D.
Just because Houston’s pro-equality movement has made some significant progress in recent weeks doesn’t mean that we’ve won the fight yet.  As you can see, Hotze and his organization are not above spreading as many lies as possible to get what they want.  If this ordinance is to pass, it’s going to take an overwhelming show of support from those that know the truth.So we are clear, here’s some myth-busting from the American Psychological Association…

1.) Sexual orientation is NOT a choice.

2) LGBT people are NOT child molesters or sexual deviants
3)  Being LGBT is NOT a disease of any kind.  We all have a sexual orientation and a gender identity.  It is something that you are born with!!
And many more from years of extensive research from the APA.  Remember the meeting at City Hall is tomorrow 2pm, with a rally for equality starting at 1pm.  If you can attend, please do so and help create a better Houston for us all.  There’s also still time to call and email your City Council representatives.  This is for real folks!!
CRT1

A Voice for the Rest of Texas